I have just spent some time reviewing my sales history and found that Canadian stamps were my worst performer in the last 12 months.It is only a personal opinion but I think they produce some of the most attractive stamps around.
Granted the issues I have listed are mostly recent 1990-2010 I would have thought that there would be some interest.
I am I guess seeking some thoughts on Canadian stamps in general
Cheers
Dave
The past is a foreign country, they do things different there. 16 Jun 2013 09:29:16pm
re: How popular are Canadian Stamps
Mr Peters:
I collect Canada Provinces and Canada postage stamps among others, and have done so for sixty years. I concentrate on collecting Canada stamps up to and including the reign of King George VI (1952).
In my personal opinion, Canada stamps hit their high-water mark prior to the Second World War; thereafter, they began their decline into mediocrity and, roughly from Scott #1000, into irrelevancy. You are trying to move Canada stamps
that are smack-dab in my irrelevant zone.
Again in my opinion, modern Canada stamps lack originality, creativity, artistry, imagination - oh, I could go on and on. Suffice to say that, for me, modern Canada stamps lack "collectability". Nor, is postage-stamp gimmickry my thing. Next time you visit Canada, compare Canada currency with Canada stamps: definitely not two trains running on parallel tracks.
So, name me some countries that have marketable (collectable) modern-day postage stamps? The glut of stamp issues in the last half-century is incredulous. Grenada Grenadines, for example, vends around a thousand issues annually, likely more.
I have a bunch of modern stamps in my international collection that I have never purchased. Like wire coat hangers, they magically reproduce in the darkest recesses of my collection. They are everywhere and I don't have to collect them, in their plenitude they attach themselves to me. Bet you have lots, too.
What I have done to counter the glut of modern postage stamps is to give them away or donate them. Let me warm the cockles of the hearts of stamp collectors by admitting that I have composted countless irrelevant postage stamps.
My suggestion is that you rid yourself of those Canada stamps. It will make you feel good because you will have done a good deed and big favour on behalf of all Stamporama members and stamp collectors world-wide. Share the joy.
John Derry
Login to Like this post
"Much happiness is overlooked because it doesn't cost anything. "
Dogs are my favorite people. I hang with this one as often as I can. 17 Jun 2013 02:50:38am
re: How popular are Canadian Stamps
Hi Dave,
My worldwide album stops at 1977. I like stamps from Canada, but don't have a place for the modern ones yet. I'm just beginning to buy Harris Worldwide Supplements and hope that someday soon I'll be able to get current.
I do collect Canada both mint and used and have a fair enough collection with a few varieties missing as mint up to 2009 - then I started concentrating on US mostly but still add to it whenever I get good bargain. Slowly I am also replacing used ones with MNH examples. Do have all the comemms. up to 2009 as setenant whenever issued and all he MS/SS as MNH. I am looking for used examples from sets and modern MNH after 2009. Also looking for some mid period MNH and tagging varieties to replace the used ones.
Canada does issue better stamps and I like them - better than Australia where AusPost brings out sheet and self adhesive booklets plus coils plus Prestige Booklets plus sheetlets to rob the collector. Whatever I collect I go for all the listed and authentic varieties of the issue therefore stopped Australia in 2004 but keep on following Canada as their issues still has some substance.
Login to Like this post
"Experience is the name you give to the mistakes you made yesterday."
Dogs are my favorite people. I hang with this one as often as I can. 17 Jun 2013 06:39:54am
re: How popular are Canadian Stamps
Hi Dave,
Yes, I'll be collecting all the years up to the present as soon as I have all the supplements. The 1990's have a few stamps I like. However, I collect just to fill the illustrations. To me, it's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
I'm an old lady with rotten lungs, and last summer was extremely humid, so I dragged out my old album for something new to do while I was stuck indoors.
I think Canadian Stamps are still very popular. I joined a trading only group, and I put up a notice that I had 100 newer Canadian stamps for trade, newer meaning from the year 2000 until present day. Within a half hour, I had 32 people from around the world and even a few other Canadians wanting to trade, because they just couldn't get Canadian stamps. Within the week, I had to stop the notice that I had put up because I was overwhelmed with people wanting to trade. Nearly 90 people asked about them. With the privacy laws now that businesses have to shred all of their envelopes, it's difficult to get even one recent used stamp without buying it and putting it on an envelope yourself, and it's almost impossible to get a large quantity of recent Canadian stamps.
  1 Member likes this post. Login to Like.
"Stamp collectors don't go crazy, they just become unhinged."
A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent). 18 Jun 2013 01:56:54am
re: How popular are Canadian Stamps
I'm very lucky that a good friend of mine runs the nearby post office and I check the booklet that comes out and if there's anything I want she will hold it for me. I tend to stick to souvenir sheets though because "singles" require you to buy a whole booklet or if they do come in sheets I don't trust the people to take them off for fear that they will damage the perfs.
I'm missing quite a few though
Kelly
(btw doodles, I'm a nearby neighbour of yours - I live down the road about 45 minutes - my family is from Hamilton and a lot still live there - small world)
  1 Member likes this post. Login to Like.
"Let's find a cure for Still's Disease, Breast Cancer and Canine Addison's Disease. We CAN find a cure and save lives!!"
I like Canadian stamps, also the modern ones. In contrast to what is often said here, they are fairly easy to get, which is not something I can say of recent USA. Another thing in favour of the Canadian stamps is that they are still soakable, as far as I know, where most of the US stamps cannot be soaked.
I quit collecting modern Netherlands, because the postal service started pouring them out by the dozen and you hardly ever see one on a letter. Apart from that, most of them were plain ugly although I must say that stamps of the last 3 to 4 years are improving again, design-wise.
So if someone wants to exchange recent Canadian stamps, send me an e-mail
I collect Canadian stamps, but like most other countries I collect, only through the 1940's and in some cases thru the 1960's, when stamps were a work of art. I wouldn't purposely buy modern stamps. They are just not attractive and frankly irrelevant. But, I have the same feeling about the modern postal system, letter writing etc.
It would seem that some collectors do not like modern issues.Canada is only one example where collectors will tell you they are not collectors beyond certain years.I must make a post one day defining who does not collect modern issues and why.
Cheers
Dave
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 24 Jun 2013 12:05:52am
re: How popular are Canadian Stamps
I can't let this pass without a comment. I'll agree with John about at times the lack of originality of Canadian stamps is detrimental, but still there are enough interesting issues to balance that out pretty much.
So in the end I guess I am like Jan-Simon and will continue to collect Canada along with most other countries, postally used.
So if you want to add my name to your donation list, John, I am not too proud.
Now the interesting thing in this discussion is that in the last six months I have won over a thousand lots and now that I look at the invoice sheets I see that I seldom seem to have bid, and won, Canadian stamps, despite the curious fact that the majority of sellers I frequent are North of the border.
I have no idea why the former is so,and even less reason for the latter.
Login to Like this post
".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
Hi
I'm new to Stamporama (joined about a year ago but haven't followed it much so far; this may change). Had to comment on this post regarding John Derry's rant(??? - sorry John!!!) near the top of the page. While I agree with some of John's comments about post 1950 Canadian stamps, I think Canada has done a relatively good job on new issues compared to some countries, the U.S. in particular. While I hate destroying stamps, the new U.S. ones usually go in the trash (apologies to my American friends).
Classic Canada is great stuff although dealers are asking outrageous prices for good quality copies of stamps which really aren't particularly rare. I'm also keen on collecting recently issued Canadian covers with good cancels; they may prove of value some day although I'm not all that interested in "investing".
" While I hate destroying stamps, the new U.S. ones usually go in the trash (apologies to my American friends)."
Wow! It's so hard for me to get recent US stamps. I couldn't imagine tossing them into the trash. Well just can't imagine tossing any stamp into the trash for that matter.
  4 Members like this post. Login to Like.
"Stamp collectors don't go crazy, they just become unhinged."
There is absolutely no reason for anyone to throw any stamps in the trash since we have several venues that are looking for stamps, trash OR treasures. The first being the Holocaust stamp project in Foxboro, Mass. and the APS is always looking for stamps to put out on their kids stamp tables, along with many veterans that are looking for stamps. Anyone that needs an address, or even more information may contact me and I will be more that happy to point you in the right direction.
Mike
  1 Member likes this post. Login to Like.
"It's been three years now, since I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet..."
CapeStampMan
Send me an e-mail and, instead of destroying the US stamps I receive, I will ship you unsoakable U.S. as well as duplicates of others I have managed retrieve off paper. Or I will direct them to one of the charities you mentioned.
  1 Member likes this post. Login to Like.
Please Note: Postings that were loaded from the old Discussion Board cannot be edited.